She looks at him then and a smile flashes across her face for seconds, a quirk of her lips. Exhaling, releasing tension, she says, "Thanks. I trust you too."

Perhaps that's why it feels necessary to add a little more, not to excuse the action but rather to explain it. That same awkwardness from before has returned. Abby doesn't usually tell people this; she's choosing words carefully. "I wasn't trying to hurt her. She got caught in the middle of it. She wasn't supposed to be there."

But she was. Abby doesn't think she'll ever forget it.

Her brow furrows. "It's... complicated."